Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Ice cream and face paint

The sound of banging filled the forest in a constant rhythm as a young black-haired boy hammered down a nail into a piece of wood.

"DONE!" He shouted after one last hammer blow. The boy wiped his forehead, then took a step back to admire his work. "Perfect." In front of him sat a freshly crafted pew, a long wooden bench. The same kind of pew he had made dozens of times before.

"Let's get you inside." The boy said as he pushed over a small makeshift dolly, which was nothing more than a plank of wood with four wheels attached to it.

Once the pew was loaded onto the dolly, he pushed it towards the nearby Church's entrance. Gone were the rubble and broken doors. Repaired stone walls took their place.

It was a difficult task, but he worked hard to restore the Church to its former glory. Over the past year, when he wasn't eating or sleeping, he was working. But even though Ash worked as hard as he could every day, it still would have taken him years to finish restoring the Church. Amelia's help was the only reason he was able to restore it so soon. With her mastery of geomancy, she could do all of the heavy lifting that would have been impossible for Ash to do alone.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash hummed as he pushed the dolly into the Church. His mindless tune matched the sound of the wheels as they rattled across the polished concrete floor. He pulled to a stop as he approached the center of the large room he was currently standing in.

Growing up in his village, Ash didn't know anything about religion, so he didn't know what this massive room was. But he now knew this room was once used by worshipers to gather. The worshipers of the Goddess would sit and listen to a Priest speak about the Goddess. Judging by the number of benches, Ash could tell there could have been hundreds of worshipers who attended this Church. But now, it was only him and Amelia.

"Goddess! With this last item, I have completely restored this Church devoted to your great glory!" Ash called out as he knelt, facing the statue of the Goddess. "I hope you find this humble Church worthy of your name… If not, then I will keep renovating it until it becomes worthy of your praise! In your name, I will never quit!"

~S~o~t~G~

Ash let out a happy sigh as he stuffed another spoon full of ice cream-covered noodles into his mouth. He was currently sitting in a large kitchen that doubled as a dining room. Of the many areas he and Amelia managed to restore in the massive Church, this one was his favorite.

From masonry work to carpentry Ash learned many things over the past year while restoring the Church to its former glory. But one of the strangest things he had learned was his taste buds were not normal. He loved to eat 'exotic' food combinations. Amelia hated his new taste buds. 

"Soo good!" Ash moaned as another spork full of 'extra spicy beef' flavored noodles and chocolate ice cream filled his mouth.

"Ash!? Where are you!? YOU BETTER NOT BE IN THE KITCHEN EATING SOMETHING DISGUSTING!" The poor boy's peaceful afternoon meal was interrupted as Amelia's voice rattled the walls.

The young worshiper panicked as he started to scarf down the rest of his meal. Amelia was not a fan of his eating habits.

"GAHH! MY BRAIN!"

~S~o~t~G~

Ash rubbed his head as he walked into the Church's main hall. He was trying to get rid of the brain freeze that was causing his head to throb.

"And where were you?" The blind woman asked as Ash stopped and looked up at her. Amelia was standing near the entrance with a large cardboard box in her arms.

"I was-" Ash started to speak, but he couldn't think up a lie, so he let out a nervous laugh instead. His laugh caused Amelia to frown as she put the cardboard box down on one of the pews. She quickly walked up to Ash, stopping to stand in front of him.

"I Uhh," He started talking again since Amelia didn't say a word. "I was cleaning? The bathroom?" Amelia's cheek twitched as her hand shot out and grabbed Ash's head in a tight grip.

"Don't lie to me. Your breath reeks of spicy noodles and chocolate ice cream!"

"Gahh! I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" Ash shouted as he flailed around in the woman's tight grip. His words caused Amelia to squeeze harder.

"I told you not to lie! We both know you'll keep eating that crap!" Amelia could only sigh as she let the boy go, causing him to fall onto his back.

"Bully!" Ash cried out while sitting up, but before he could say any more. A slight movement caught his eye.

Sitting in one of the pews, a small girl was silently laughing at him. The girl was short and thinner than he was when Amelia found him. Her hair was a mess of black, and her eyes brown; they lit up as she laughed. Her Innocent and childlike demeanor was ruined by the fact that she was covered in filth. Dirt and grime layered her body, and she wore tattered oversized clothes. But what caught Ash's eyes most was the bright white skull painted over her face. The white paint seemingly brighter against her brown skin.

"Umm? Who's that?" Ash asked as he tilted his head and looked at the young girl. His question caught the girl's attention, causing her to freeze and quickly hide behind Amelia.

Amelia ignored the girl's shyness; the woman grabbed the girl by the waist and lifted her into the air.

"This is Girl, and she'll be staying with us from now on." As Amelia spoke, the girl in question struggled madly, trying to get out of the woman's hands.

"Girl? What's her name?" Ash asked as he pushed himself off the floor and stood up.

"How should I know? I'm blind, and she refuses to speak! Do you know how hard it is to talk to her at all!?" Amelia gritted her teeth as she shook the small girl in front of Ash's face.

"Well? Why did you bring this girl here then?" Ash gasped and took a step back as a thought crossed his mind. "YOU DIDN'T KIDNAP HER DID YOU!? HOW COULD YOU!?"

"NO! I DIDN'T KIDNAP HER, YOU, LITTLE IDIOT!" Amelia dropped the girl then grabbed Ash's head, squeezing tightly once more.

"This girl is a member of the Mayan Nation, can’t you tell by all the paint on her face." Amelia stated. While she couldn’t see the girl or the paint on her face, Amelia could smell it. She let go of Ash's head, causing him to land on his feet. 

“I thought you said the Mayan Nation was isolated?” Ash asked.

“The Mayan Nation is isolated, they have never allowed outsiders in. But, people have left. From merchants, to families, to even warriors that have joined the Explorers Union. There are already people from the Mayan Nation in our church. She will be the newest member.” Amelia explained. The Priestess then picked up the box she was carrying before and walked towards one of the doors at the end of the Church. "Come, Girl, let's get you washed and into some fresh clothes. Ash, quit standing around and start unloading the truck." Amelia ordered as she walked.

The young girl carefully stepped around Ash and quickly ran towards Amelia, leaving the boy alone in the Church's main hall. Ash could only sigh as he walked towards the entrance; it was just another day for him.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash yawned as he placed another box of rice into the kitchen's pantry. He just finished unloading all of the groceries from the truck, and a small smile crossed his lips when he looked at all the food. It made him think about how far he's come, and it made him think about how far the Church has come.

Amelia told him that since the Church was so secluded, many Church members would live there. In total, the Church had six rooms. The first was the massive main hall, where the members would worship and listen to the Priest speak. There were also two doors in this room, each on the back wall behind the Goddess statue. One on the left side and one on the right side. The right door led to Ash's favorite room, the kitchen.

The left door led to a hallway, which had four rooms, two on each side. On the right side of the hall sat a room once used as a dorm for male church members. It was now Ash's room after he threw out the leftover rotted wooden beds. Next to his room was an office, or at least that's what he assumed it was. There was a rotted and old desk lying in the center when Ash first cleaned it out. On the opposite side of the hall laid Amelia's room, which used to be a room for the female members of the Church. Next to her room was the restroom, which Ash was quite proud of. The room in question used to be nothing more than a space for washing up. Since the Church was so old, there was no proper plumbing, and the boy assumed the former members of the Church had to do their business outside.

But fortunately, the Church was built on a small, almost unnoticeable hill. Allowing Ash to rig together a working toilet with a simple toilet bowl, some pipes, and large ten-gallon jugs of water. He simply let the waste and water run down the pipes into a nearby river at the bottom of the hill. Ash was able to do the same when he created a shower. The boy was thankful he no longer had to shower or use the bathroom in the river.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash hummed a cheerful little tune as he refueled the truck and checked the tire pressure. Once it was all clear, Ash hopped into the truck in slowly drove it into a makeshift parking garage Amelia created.

One day while Ash was busy restoring the Church, Amelia created the garage using her mastery over geomancy. The blind woman cleared the space creating and manipulating large hands made of dirt. She ripped the trees out of the ground; she cut the trees into crude planks with dirt blades for later use. Then she created the garage by shaping harden dirt into a small room for the truck to fit in.

Once Ash backed the truck up into the garage, he hopped out and closed the makeshift doors. 'There! The truck is taken care of. Now, what's next.' The boy thought as he started thinking about the items on his to-do list. But he was knocked out of his thoughts as a shiver went traveled up his spine, warning him of something behind him. He quickly spun around, pulling out his hatchet, thinking a monster was trying to sneak up behind him. But he froze when he saw the small girl from before.

She was now freshly cleaned, wearing a pink sundress, and her skull painted face held a slightly different pattern. But she was also frozen on the spot, staring up at Ash, who currently had the small ax raised above his head.

"Umm… Hello again." Ash said with a crooked smile, breaking the tension and causing the girl to run away, back into the Church. "Great." The boy sighed out as he slipped the hatchet back into his belt loop. "I should have known it wasn't an animal! Amelia always warns me when a monster is nearby!" He could only scold himself as he walked to his next task.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash yawned as he started to break down his extra-large squeegee. An oversized tool with a rubber blade on its end was used to clean the massive stained glass windows on the side of the Church. He just finished cleaning one of the windows and was getting ready to move on to the next.

The boy looked up at the window, it was a basic design, but it was still impressive. Of course, installing the window wouldn't have been possible without Amelia's help. It was once again, thanks to the woman's mastery over geomancy. It was easy for her to lift and move the windows with the hands of dirt while Ash helped slide them into place and install them.

Ash was about to pick up his cleaning supplies and move onto the next window, but a flash of pink caught his eye. He looked up and saw the young girl once again. Ash locked eyes with the girl, which caused her to panic and quickly hide behind a tree. Ash could only sigh as he stared at the tree. He waited a few seconds wondering if she would come out.

After a few moments, she didn't appear, but an idea did pop into the boy's head.

"Uh, Hey! I'm going to make a snack if you're hungry! I'll be in the kitchen!" He shouted out. After Amelia found him, Ash knew he was starving, and all he wanted to do was eat. While he didn't know what happened to the girl or who she was, she did remind him of himself. "Umm, well, going to the kitchen now," Ash said as he walked past the tree the girl hid behind.

He expected to see the girl hiding there, but there was nothing and no one there when he passed the tree. He could only scratch his head in confusion, wondering if she heard anything he said. But talking about a snack made him hungry, so he walked to the kitchen anyway.

~S~o~t~G~

The boy smiled as he opened the fridge, which was packed full of various foods. The fridge itself was something Amelia bought from Maplekeep since the Church didn't initially have one. The boy didn't know how old the Church was, he knew it was ancient, and it wasn't built with electricity in mind. But thanks to a few extension cords and a few monster fat powered generators. His new home had plenty of power.

"Eating again?" Amelia's firm voice broke Ash out of his thoughts.

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"Yeah, just a snack before I get back to work." The boy said while moving food around.

"Well, since you're going to eat, make something for the girl as well." Ash turned to the blind woman, expecting to see the skull-faced girl, but she wasn't with Amelia.

"Where is she?" The boy asked while tilting his head.

Amelia let out a disappointed sigh at his question and shook her head. "She's behind you, Boy, be more aware of your surroundings."

Ash quickly spun around and saw the young girl standing behind him while holding a bottle of water in her hands. A bottle she must have taken from the fridge without him even noticing. "W-When did yo-" He didn't get to finish asking his question since the girl quickly ran and hid behind Amelia.

"You disappoint me. If the girl wanted to kill you, she would have been able to do it without you even knowing! You MUST be more aware of what's going on around you at ALL times!" Amelia crossed her arms as she scolded the boy.

The young girl peeked out from behind Amelia's back. She taunted him by sticking her tongue out while pulling down her lower eyelid. Ash's face started to heat up as he looked at the two females.

"W-Well, that’s easy for you to say. You have super hearing and smell. You probably heard her walking or smelled her. I don't have those." Ash mumbled.

"But you do have a nose, ears, and you have eyes. Use them, Boy, don't complain about it, learn. But enough with the griping! Make the girl something to eat. I have work to do, so don't bother me." With that, the woman turned to leave but stopped before taking a step.

"Oh, and Ash, if you try to feed her some of that disgusting slop you call food. You'll be eating nothing but raw eggs for the rest of the year!" Ash paled at the thought and simply nodded his head.

~S~o~t~G~

Once Amelia was gone, the two children stood quiet in the kitchen. Ash didn't know what to say, and the girl hadn't spoken a word yet.

"Well, Uh, what do you want to eat?" Ash asked, finally breaking the tension. He scratched his cheek as he tried not to look at the girl, who was staring at him while not blinking. The young girl’s skull face paint making her presence unsettling for Ash. After a few more seconds of silence, Ash simply turned around and opened up the fridge again. "Okay, I'll just make you… Some eggs?" There was no reply as the boy started pulling out everything he needed.

~S~o~t~G~

"Um, here you go." Ash placed a plate full of scrambled eggs and sausage in front of the girl as she sat at the table. The girl, of course, didn't say anything as she stared at the plate. The girl didn't speak a single word when Ash was cooking; the most she did was take a seat.

"Here's a fork and some ketchup if you want." The girl still didn't speak as she picked up the fork and slowly started to eat the food. On the other hand, Ash let out a breath as she moved for the first time in seven minutes.

"Well, I'm going to make my snack now." Ash quickly moved away from the girl and back to the fridge.

The girl just watched with an impassive glaze as Ash started to place down everything he needed for his' snack.' A bowl, a spoon, a carton of ice cream, and some spare sausage he just cooked.

Ash smiled as he lifted the carton of ice cream, but he didn't open it. Instead, the girl's stare caught his eye. He noticed the girl staring at the container, her eyes following it as he moved the frozen desert around.

"Do you like ice cream?" Ash asked the girl, but she simply stared back at him.

"Do you know what ice cream is?" Ash asked.

He didn't know what ice cream was until two months after he started living with Amelia. The boy's small village was far away from the Kingdoms, and when it came to food, the town cared more about making meals that fill your belly. Frozen treats and candies were luxuries only found in Kingdoms and well-protected villages. Baked sweetbreads and fruits in syrups were the only desserts he had known before.

"Well, uh, this is ice cream, well, this is my favorite kind of ice cream. Vanilla!" Ash said with a smile. "Vanilla is the best because it goes with pretty much everything." The boy's bright smile widen as he held out the carton. The girl didn't respond, but that didn't stop him. He opened the carton and started scoping out the ice cream into the bowl. "Vanilla goes with everything, and if I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be vanilla ice cream." Ash was repeating himself and exaggerating now, but he couldn't help it. This was the first time he could talk to the girl, even if she didn't talk back.

The girl watched as Ash cheerfully poured the leftover sausage into the bowl. She took a bite of her meal as Ash shoved a spoonful of sausage and ice cream into his mouth.

~S~o~t~G~

Amelia walked into the kitchen while Ash was whistling as he finished washing the dishes.

"Come with me," Amelia said, startling Ash, but he managed to hide his surprise. The boy in question could only sigh as he shut off the water. He followed Amelia, who walked out without saying another word.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash yawned as he stepped onto the gravel pathway. He turned to the right as the young girl once again caught his eye. She was standing next to the garage, just watching him.

"Ash, get over here." Amelia's voice snapped Ash out of his thoughts and caused him to quickly rushed to her. The blind woman was standing on the opposite side of the path to the garage.

This area was cleared by Amelia and used by Ash as a small workshop space. A workbench and a large tool cabinet sat in the center of the space. Amelia simply pushed those items away with her geomancy.

"Stand there, Boy," Amelia said as she pointed to the center of the now cleared space. "Take your shirt off." Ash quickly followed the woman's instructions. He walked into the middle of the area and stripped off his plain black shirt without hesitating. "Hold still," Amelia ordered as she walked up to Ash and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Ash, I’ve told you before, in order to use the Mist, you have to inhale it. You have to accept it into your body, and into your soul. But, have I ever told you inhaling the Mist is dangerous?" The woman asked while squeezing his shoulders, then moved down to squeeze his arms.

"Umm, no?" Ash replied with a tilt of his head.

"It's because of the body, boy. Inhaling the Mist causes an explosion of energy to fill the body. If the body is too weak to handle the sudden influx of energy. Well, let's just say you better hope a mop is nearby." Amelia smirked, causing Ash to shiver. The woman ran her hands across Ash's chest and stomach. The once starving boy was now more than healthy. Eating every day and working on the Church left him in better shape than most kids his age. "Of course, there are safe ways to handle the Mist. Can you guess why that girl being from the Mayan Nation makes her so special?" Amelia asked as she nodded her head to the young skull-faced girl, who was watching from the church entrance.

“Uh? Because they’re an unknown nation?” He questioned.

“No, the church knows quite a lot about the Mayan Nation thanks to the members in our ranks that are from there… The reason being from the Mayan Nation makes her special, is because they worship the Mist. They don’t worship the Goddess like we do, but they worship the Mist itself. They worship the Mist so greatly that every child born is given a small amount to inhale within a month of their birth. But, because this amount is so small, it doesn’t cause an explosion of energy like it would if that child were your age. No, instead, the Mist given to the baby grows with them, it becomes apart of them… Because the Mayan Nation worships the Mist so greatly, they abandoned all forms of weaponry. They don’t have guns, or even swords. No, they solely rely on the powers given to them by the Mist.” Amelia explained.

“Whoa, so they’re all like you? With magic?” Ash couldn’t help but ask.

Amelia hummed as she thought about everything she knew about the Mayan Nation. “No, most people that live there are just normal citizens, they live normal lives, with only their physical potential unlocked. But, yes all of their warriors have their magical potential unlocked like mine. That girl there, the reason her face is painted, is because it marks her as a Mayan warrior, or at least one who was in training.” Amelia explained, which caused the young skull-faced girl to frown and walk back inside of the church. “That girl, she already has her Mist, her physical potential unlocked… And I believe, you are finally really to unlock your potential. To inhale the Mist, to truly become one with the Goddess.”

"I-I am?" Ash stood with wide eyes, his heart started to beat faster, and a grin threatened to split his face.

"Yes, your body is ready. But are you?"

"What? What do you mean?" The boy asked while staring up at the woman.

"This is your last chance, Ash. If you want, I'll take you to Maplekeep and even give you some money. What you do after that is up to you." Amelia spoke in a soft tone Ash has never heard before.

"W-Why would I want that?"

"If you inhale the Mist, that will put you on a path. A path you cannot leave and can never stray from... You will become a true member of the Church of the Mist. I've explained this to you so often before, but I'll put it in plain words now." Amelia put her hand on Ash's shoulder once more and caused him to look up at her non-existent eyes. "The Ash, raised in a small village, dies the second you inhale the Mist. You will become Ash, a devoted worshiper to the Goddess and Inquisitor for the Church. Can you do that, boy? Can you give up everything to fulfill the Goddess's will? In her name, you'll have to do things you might not want to do. Like killing people, killing bandits, and whoever else I tell you to. You will infiltrate the Explorers Union, rising in their ranks until you one day reach the top. On that day, I may ask you to kill someone you might know, someone you might like and become friends with, all in the name of the Goddess. Are you willing to do this?"

The boy's eyes widen as he listened to Amelia. He was so focused on becoming strong. He never honestly thought about it. He honestly forgot Amelia said he would be an Inquisitor, Ash didn't know what it meant before, but now he understood what she was telling him.

'I, I believe in the Goddess. I'll always believe in her, and I'll always be thankful for what she did for me. But to kill for her….' Ash closed his eyes and clenched his fist. He wanted to stop bad people, to stop bandits like the ones that attacked his village. But the thought of killing them made him feel sick; all Ash could think about was that night. The night they attacked, the night he watched his people be slaughtered. That night he watched everyone he had ever known, loved, or even met be killed. Then he was left all alone. Ash was forced to deal with the aftermath, dealing with the bodies, and deal with the blood. Ash saw what killing people was; he saw what murder truly was. 'Coul-Could I really do that? Could I do what they did?' Ash squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to block out the scenes from that night. But one after another, they keep appearing in his mind.

"I'll give you a day, Boy," Amelia said after a few moments of silence.

"W-What?"

"I'll give you one day to decide your future. But, if you can't decide by this time tomorrow. I'll take you to the village, and what happens after is up to you. A member of the Church of the Mist can't hesitate. If you worship the Goddess, you must always follow her will without question. Remember this, Ash, if you choose to stay, if you choose to join the Church. You'll become something much more than Ash. You'll become one with the Goddess's will." Amelia placed her hand on the boy's head, giving it a light squeeze.

Ash kept his mouth closed, not sure what to say.

"Take the rest of the day to think about this. If you chose to stay, then you can do your chores another day."

Ash simply nodded, then slowly walked away.

~S~o~t~G~

There was a slight frown on Amelia's face as she listened to Ash walking away.

'I hope 'She' isn't watching. If she finds out, I'm giving Ash a choice.' The Priestess thought with a sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "WHAT TH-" The blind woman quickly spun around as an almost unnoticeable scent filled her nose.

The young skull-faced girl stood next to Amelia, completely still and silent. The blind woman twitched her nose, and if she couldn't smell the girl, she wouldn't even know the child was there. "You... They really trained you well for such a young age didn’t they.” Amelia said. The blind woman let her guard down for only a moment, and the young girl was able to sneak in close. The young girl didn’t answer Amelia’s question, instead, she started walking around the priestess, staring at the woman while her footsteps were silent.  “You are really creepy. You do know that, don't you, girl?" If Amelia had eyes, she would be able to see the broad grin on the young girl's face.

 

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